Dear Amanda


Dear Amanda,

     In so many ways you have become an important part of my life. From our similar interests in spoken word poetry, to our ukulele playing, to books and stories that change our individual universes to our heart to heart conversations about life. I’ve learned so much from you more than you’ll ever know. I marvel at your wit and insight. I am in awe of your quickness to learn anything you set your sights on. But one thing that I am so honored to have witnessed is the strength of your spirit as you face opposing forces that challenge your belief head on. It is not just your brows that furrow. It is not just the adamant tone of your voice. It is your indignation that compels me to bring out my own against any injustice that may have just occurred. That my dear girl is passion. That my dear Amanda is the one thing that you hold on to when everything around you seems to be falling apart. The strength to fight for your beliefs and often times, your life.

This letter is supposed to be a blog post of the gift you created for me. And it is. So I began this piece with expressing what you have essentially gifted me with. This morning, I picked up my bag that you hand painted. What you created is a magnificent work of art. As it hangs now underneath my surf board, I cannot help but feel the cosmos uncovering my life as I know it in the beautiful painting you made on my purse. A lovely sunset in the form of a mandala, the ocean that is the hair of a woman, sailboats floating on the waves, and a woman’s face underneath it all. The moment I saw your work, my chest tightened. My heart, oh my heart became light and full all at the same time. I remember everything that ever brought me to this place, to the blessing of your presence. I remember it very clearly now. But that memory is another story to tell. I will tell you this—that the very idea of you birthing the concept of the art you just made tells me how very deeply you feel, how very connected you are to your soul. You would not have made this had you not listened to your heart. After everything is said and done, what is invisible to the eye is most precious. When you listen to the beat of your heart, you will never be lost. You will always find your way home. And all in life is a coming home.

I am grateful for what you have made for me, Amanda. And for me, this isn’t just an art painted on a piece of leather. It is the thousand different ways I have been blessed by who you are. It is in the countless ways I have gathered lessons from listening to the brilliant language of your mind. It is in the strength of your character that you have dared show me and of which in the process I found my own. What you created for me isn’t just art on a piece of designer bag. What you created for me is a part of yourself. And who you are is a masterpiece of soul and grace.  How tremendously blessed I am to have been gifted with such masterpiece.

And since you absolutely refused to let me pay for your artistry, this poem is for you. If you remember, I wrote this back in May of 2016 where we were on our way to watch Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye’s show at the CAP Theater in Cebu. It has evolved as you have. So here it is.

Amanda Therese.
She belongs
right where she is.
Her hair a wisp of quick wit
Uniquely unkempt
Her fingers deft
As she holds a pen
To write a thousand words
A million even
In her lifetime
Her hands smeared
With rainbow
As she colors her world
And those around her
Her mouth speaks
A universe of stories
But beneath it all
Her heart, oh her heart
Is open, spacious, strong
Enough to carry
And change
The world.


Love always,

 Tita Bea




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